Owens has made a dependable name for himself patrolling with 'the guys'

Published: Sunday, February 17, 2013 at 09:01 PM.

Photo Galleries

When Owens was first promoted, he was sent to Moore County and stayed at the Eastwood Volunteer Fire Department’s station in West End. One day after his shift, he received a surprise. The firefighters had, after a fashion, created a new cruiser for him.

“That was a crash vehicle they were going to cut up for training,” Owens said, pointing to a picture in his office of a beat-up looking compact coupe. “It was back in the parking lot, and it had been back there for a couple months. One day I came home — I say home, they let me stay there — I went to my room, and they put that picture on my door.

“I went and looked at the car, and they had taken time to paint the stripe down the side of it, made the little reflective (Highway Patrol) emblem, set a little bar light on top of it. Of course, it’s got the doughnut tire on the front, there. I think about that, too, because there were some good guys that took care of me there and looked out for me.”

As soon as he got the chance though, Owens had himself transferred back to District VII, which covers Lenoir and Jones counties.

“It’s my home,” Owens said. “It’s where I’ve made my home. I moved around a lot when I was younger. And that’s something I said I wouldn’t do to my family, unless they wanted to do it. My son, he’s grown up here, and this is the only place he knows, so that’s the biggest thing — my family. That’s why we stayed here.”

Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 or wes.wolfe@kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @WolfeReports.

N.C. Highway Patrol Sgt. Chris Owens won Trooper of the Year for Troop A, District VII in 2005 and 2007, and Trooper of the Year for all of Troop A in 2007.

With only eight troops in the state, that’s a high honor.

In November 2009, he received promotion to sergeant.

District VII 1st Sgt. Charles Johnston thinks Owens is ready for the next step up, to run his own district.

“He needs to get promoted,” Johnston said.

Later Johnston added, “Sometimes you can’t control who comes into your district, but if I could go in and pick somebody, I would go pick him. Because he’s professional, he knows what he’s doing. And that’s the thing with a supervisor — not only is he confident, but he’s competent in what he’s doing. He’s confident and competent, and the guys know it.”

But Owens, the son of a state trooper, is OK right where he is.

“I just want to stay here right now,” Owens said. “My goal, when I first started thinking about promotion, was to be a first sergeant, to have your own district. I like the position I’m in now, because not only can you go out and work the road, … there’s a lot of admin here, too. But I like to get out and work with the guys. I feel right now I’m not an office person, but I like to get out and work with the guys, and work for them.”

Not many people know the view from inside the Highway Patrol. Owens said safety of the public and law enforcement is always the top priority, and one of the toughest parts of the job is when incidents don’t turn out right. It’s those times when fellowship among troopers is key.

Owens said people usually aren’t aware of “the emotions that you have dealing with a fatality. Especially if it’s dealing with a child or a family member — things like that. Friends that you may run across. I don’t think a lot of people understand the emotions that are held in when you have to deliver that message to someone’s family. I know a lot of guys, that’s one of the things they hate to do, is deliver a death message.”

But there are lighter times on the job.

When Owens was first promoted, he was sent to Moore County and stayed at the Eastwood Volunteer Fire Department’s station in West End. One day after his shift, he received a surprise. The firefighters had, after a fashion, created a new cruiser for him.

“That was a crash vehicle they were going to cut up for training,” Owens said, pointing to a picture in his office of a beat-up looking compact coupe. “It was back in the parking lot, and it had been back there for a couple months. One day I came home — I say home, they let me stay there — I went to my room, and they put that picture on my door.

“I went and looked at the car, and they had taken time to paint the stripe down the side of it, made the little reflective (Highway Patrol) emblem, set a little bar light on top of it. Of course, it’s got the doughnut tire on the front, there. I think about that, too, because there were some good guys that took care of me there and looked out for me.”

As soon as he got the chance though, Owens had himself transferred back to District VII, which covers Lenoir and Jones counties.

“It’s my home,” Owens said. “It’s where I’ve made my home. I moved around a lot when I was younger. And that’s something I said I wouldn’t do to my family, unless they wanted to do it. My son, he’s grown up here, and this is the only place he knows, so that’s the biggest thing — my family. That’s why we stayed here.”

Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 or wes.wolfe@kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @WolfeReports.